Science that gets results

Some might regard science as boring. But what if experiments carried out for a science fair could improve your gas mileage, lower your energy bills or determine whether you might get a job? Would you be interested then?

The 17th annual Kern County Science Fair held on March 31 at the Bakersfield Convention Center provided the forum for answers. Presented by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, it brought together approximately 600 Kern County students in grades 4-12 who spent months preparing scientific experiments to test all kinds of theories. First and second place winners in the high school and middle school divisions can compete in the 53rd annual California Science Fair, May 24-25, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

Think putting a dimmer switch on your wall will save you dollars on your monthly energy bill? Taft Union High freshman Josh Webb experimented with 25, 50, 75 and 100 watt bulbs. He tested voltage, amperage, wattage and light output.

“I found measurement of light wasn’t proportional to the different wattages of incandescent bulbs because dimmers are flawed,” Webb said. “Even at lower voltages, you would be spending the same amount of money on energy while getting less light. The simple solution is use more energy efficient bulbs. If all you need is a 50 watt bulb, don’t buy one that’s 100 watts.”

Webb’s experiment received an honorable mention ribbon from the judges.

Do you like to travel a lot and figure why not just put one of those cargo carriers on top of the car to store that extra baggage that won’t fit inside? Desert High junior Cori Holmes received a gold, first place medallion for proving the shape of the cargo carrier can cost you gas mileage.

“I tested two kinds of carriers,” Holmes said. “One was more ‘boxie’ and the other more aerodynamically tapered at one end. The boxie carrier created the most ‘drag,’ making the car use more gas to travel a designated distance. The other created less drag with the blunt end placed forward and the tapered end at the rear. Airplane wings are built that way to create a more efficient air flow.”

If you ever needed the help of an employment agency, remember how they stressed, “Dress for success?” Well, Sing Lum School sixth-grader Ilyssa Espiritu received first place gold for proving that catchy little phrase may have a lot of validity. While her mother hid in a van videotaping reactions, Espiritu asked questions of 50 people in a shopping center parking lot. Their responses were played back as evidence for her exhibit at the science fair.

“I would ask them for the time but would change my appearance from a ‘tomboy’ to a ‘young lady,’” Espiritu said. “ My hypothesis was that clothes matter. I rated their responses as ‘extremely helpful,’ ‘helpful,’ ‘no response,’ ‘no eye contact,’ ‘impatient’ and ‘asked a question.’ All of the positive responses were higher for the ‘young lady.’ In fact, as a ‘tomboy’ I had five percent of the people give me ‘no response’ at all, while the ‘young lady’ always got a response.”

Five high school students distinguished themselves by winning both category championships and scholarships. Big winners were Bakersfield High’s Jan Humphrey and Desert High’s Matthew Ward who received $1,000 scholarships from the Kern Science Foundation and Air Force Research Laboratory in addition to taking first place honors in their respective categories — Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Physics and Astronomy.

Three other students, Bakersfield High’s Janelle Williams, Burroughs High’s Eric Ford and Desert High’s Kaitlin Kirk, received Distinguished Achievement Naval Science Awards while placing first in the Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Mathematics and Software and Behavioral Sciences categories

Event sponsors included the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Aera Energy LLC, ChevronTexaco, Occidental of Elk Hills, Kaiser Permanente, Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center, Ravi and Naina Patel Foundation and the Kern County Science Foundation.

2004 Kern County Regional Science Fair Awards

*Indicates eligible for state competition

HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION - Grades 9-12

AERODYNAMICS/HYDRODYNAMICS

  • * First Place - Cori Holmes - Desert
  • * Second Place - Christopher Simpson - Desert
  • Third Place - David Chisholm - North

APPLIED MECHANICS/STRUCTURES/MECHANISMS

  • * First Place - Megan Harris - Desert
  • * Second Place - Ravan Gray - Desert
  • Third Place - Chrystine Bourbina - Desert
  • Honorable Mention - DK (Deborah) Merrell - Desert

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

  • * First Place - Kaitlin Kirk - Desert
  • * Second Place - Andrea Wooding - Burroughs
  • Third Place - Kayasha Moore and Marquette Moore - Desert
  • Honorable Mention - Amanpreet Kooner - Arvin
  • Honorable Mention - Zainub Cementwala - Bakersfield

BIOCHEMISTRY/MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - Jan Humphrey - Bakersfield
  • * Second Place - Keenan Rogerson - North
  • Third Place - Reema Hammand, Amandeep Kaur and Camelia Sanchez - Liberty

CHEMISTRY

  • * First Place - Dana Mead - Taft
  • * Second Place - Alison Mathis - Mojave

GEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE/EARTH SCIENCE

  • * First Place - Caelan O'Sullivan, Shelley Patel and Shivani Softa - Stockdale
  • * Second Place - John Greenfield - Liberty
  • Third Place - Lydia Bates and Toni Ward - Desert

MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY/PHYSIOLOGY

  • * First Place - Tabatha Mills - North
  • * Second Place - Cody Lewis - Desert
  • Third Place - Anu Gupta - Garces
  • Honorable Mention - Maria Alvarez, Jennifer Camacho, Francys Oliva and Amber Miranda - Arvin

MATHEMATICS AND SOFTWARE

  • * First Place - Eric Ford - Burroughs
  • * Second Place - Tammy Prado - Arvin
  • Third Place - Nimi Katragadda - Stockdale
  • Honorable Mention - Daniel Fuentes - South

MICROBIOLOGY AND TISSUE CULTURE

  • * First Place - Laila Nikaien - Desert
  • * Second Place - Victoria Zavala - North
  • Third Place - Selleck Zaninovich - North

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

  • * First Place - Matthew Ward - Desert
  • * Second Place - Ronalynn Ramos - Desert
  • Third Place - Angela Collins - Desert
  • Honorable Mention - Joshua Webb - Taft

PLANT BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - Janelle Williams - Bakersfield
  • * Second Place - Lauren (Zandra) Stucky - Desert
  • Third Place - Elizabeth Kizlowski - Desert

MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION - Grades 6-8

AERODYNAMICS/HYDRODYNAMICS

  • * First Place - Thomas Judge - El Tejon
  • * Second Place - Christian Selby - Stockdale Elementary
  • Third Place - Stephen Michal - Stockdale Christian
  • Honorable Mention - Alec Nolen - Loudon
  • Special Recognition - Greg Hanel - Lakeside
  • Special Recognition - Elizabeth Crowe and Thomas Benham - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • Special Recognition - Andrew D'Oliver - Stockdale Elementary

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES

  • * First Place - Jennifer Scarbrough and Makenna Thompson - Standard Middle
  • * Second Place - Melissa (Missy) Camp - Stockdale Christian
  • Third Place - Kelsey Berg - Patriot Elementary

APPLIED MECHANICS/STRUCTURES/MECHANISMS

  • * First Place - Carolyn Ewert - Norris Middle
  • * Second Place - Nicholas Orita - Warren Jr. High
  • Third Place - Natalie Sherman - Sing Lum
  • Honorable Mention - Kari Storslett - Stockdale Christian
  • Special Recognition - Jason Martin - Chavez

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

  • * First Place - Catherine Boljen - Quailwood Elementary
  • * Second Place - James Turner - Van Horn
  • Third Place - Eric (Andrew) Whittington - Rio Bravo Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Robert Reekes - California City Middle
  • Special Recognition - Annie Garrison - Rio Bravo Elementary

BIOCHEMISTRY/MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - Nicholas Hickernell and Blake Emberson - Lincoln Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Sumail Bhogal - Warren Jr. High
  • Third Place - Amartej Deol - Reagan

CHEMISTRY

  • * First Place - Jarod Corey - Joshua Middle
  • * Second Place - Hunter Link - Edwards Middle
  • Third Place - Karina Vaughan - Thomas Jefferson
  • Honorable Mention - Kaleigh Tinkle - Stockdale Christian
  • Honorable Mention - Joshua Wittenberg - Richland Jr. High

ELECTRICITY AND ELECTRONICS

  • * First Place - Ravi Solanki - Norris Middle
  • * Second Place - Maliha Ahmed - Tevis Jr. High
  • Third Place - D.J. Taylor and David Freed - Centennial Elementary
  • Special Recognition - Deepa Kannappan - Tevis Jr. High

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - William Piper - Actis Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Taylor Herndon - Rio Bravo Elementary
  • Third Place - Keri Neal - Standard Middle

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

  • * First Place - Travis Henderson - Greenfield Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Alyx Munden - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • Third Place - Devin McKee - Sing Lum
  • Honorable Mention - Danel Bergam - Stockdale Christian
  • Special Recognition - Dylan Redden - El Tejon
  • Special Recognition - Lucas Schlussel - Lakeside

GEOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE/EARTH SCIENCE

  • * First Place - Travis Meyer - Heritage Christian
  • * Second Place - Jordan Mead - Lincoln Jr. High
  • Third Place - Brian Austin - Olive Knolls
  • Honorable Mention - Kevin Mathew - Laurelglen

MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - Laura Arnold and Megan Lederhos - Richland Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Amol Gupta - Warren Jr. High
  • Third Place - Crystal Ramos - Thomas Jefferson Middle
  • Honorable Mention - Lesley Ortega - Cecil Avenue Middle

MATERIALS SCIENCE

  • * First Place - Matthew Prewitt - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Brice Ezell - Olive Knolls
  • Third Place - Katie Ramey - Ollivier Middle
  • Honorable Mention - Zachary Harmonson - Centennial Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Breanne Ruelas - St. John's
  • Honorable Mention - Dakota Velasquez - Thorner
  • Honorable Mention - Nicholas Duerr - Valley Oaks Charter
  • Special Recognition - Corina Galindo - St. Francis

MICROBIOLOGY AND TISSUE CULTURE

  • * First Place - Iris Liu - Warren Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Kaitlin Ball - Standard Middle
  • Third Place - Shiromi Ratnayake - McAuliffe
  • Honorable Mention - Amy Davis - Monroe Middle
  • Honorable Mention - Jacob Loeffler - Norris Midddle
  • Honorable Mention - Earvin Bayudan - Cecil Avenue Middle

PHARMACOLOGY/TOXICOLOGY

  • * First Place - Evan Szablowski - Warren Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Janna Nikkel - Rio Bravo Elementary
  • Third Place - Alex Garrison - Rio Bravo Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Samantha Maron - St. Francis
  • Honorable Mention - Travis Wallace - Standard Middle

PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

  • * First Place - Sean Jenvay - El Tejon
  • * Second Place - David Sicktich - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • Third Place - Chris Whitake - Norris Middle
  • Honorable Mention - Ali Haghighi - Warren Jr. High
  • Special Recognition - William Zimmer - Independence Elementary
  • Special Recognition - Melissa Hamilton - McAuliffe
  • Special Recognition - Kenneth Johnson - Stockdale Christian

PLANT BIOLOGY

  • * First Place - William Jordan - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • * Second Place - Bryce Vlach - Standard Middle
  • Third Place - Kirby Jaeger - Fruitvale Jr. High
  • Honorable Mention - Kelsy Padilla - Fairfax
  • Special Recognition - Brenda Nunez and Erika Hernandez - Mt. View Middle

SOCIAL SCIENCES

  • * First Place - Ilyssa Espiritu - Sing Lum
  • * Second Place - Caitlin Mercado - Standard Middle
  • Third Place - Evan Vaughan - Warren Jr. High
  • Honorable Mention - Victoria Garza and Victoria Katomski - Our Lady of Perpetual Help
  • Special Recognition - Mason Walker - Carden
  • Special Recognition - Bayanka Fontes - Cecil Avenue Middle

STRUCTURAL CAPABILITY AND STRENGTH OF MATERIALS

  • * First Place - Martin Geier - St. John's
  • * Second Place - Zachary Babbitt - Stockdale Christian
  • Third Place - Douglas Wilson - Joshua Middle
  • Honorable Mention - Lauren Stanley - Heritage Christian
  • Special Recognition - Ryan Brottlund - California City Middle
  • Special Recognition - Caleb Scheerer - Olive Knolls
  • Special Recognition - Mark Duerr - Valley Oaks Charter

ZOOLOGY

  • * First Place - Alex Thompson - Standard Middle
  • * Second Place - Christopher Woodard - Wallace Middle
  • Third Place - Chelsey Kirkley - McAuliffe
  • Honorable Mention - Sarah Schale - Heritage Christian
  • Special Recognition - Emily Carnal - Rio Bravo Elementary

INTERMEDIATE GRADES DIVISION - Grade 4

ASTRONOMY, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

  • First Place - Howard Wang - Stockdale Elementary
  • Second Place - Samuel Enders - Independence Elementary
  • Third Place - Shelby Woolf - Panama
  • Honorable Mention - Devon Albitre - Wingland
  • Honorable Mention - Cassandra Kashanski - El Tejon
  • Honorable Mention - Kaitlin Swift - Wallace Elementary

BEHAVIORAL, ANIMAL AND FIELD STUDIES

  • First Place - Carson Crawford - Quailwood Elementary
  • Second Place - Alyssa Eaton - Kendrick
  • Third Place - Kayla Moe - Rio Bravo Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Sammy Donohue - McKee Elementary

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS

  • First Place - Tucker Clerico - Owens
  • Second Place - Zach Lotze - Discovery Elementary
  • Third Place - Abigail Hilliard - Buena Vista
  • Honorable Mention - Lyndsay Hardy - Rosedale North

ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

  • First Place - Matthew Soderstrom - Valley Oaks Charter
  • Second Place - Kalvin Kirkwood - Columbia Elementary
  • Third Place - Alec Swagger - St. John's
  • Honorable Mention - Drake Floyd - Owens

FOOD AND HEALTH SCIENCE

  • First Place - Kathryn Livingston - Kendrick
  • Second Place - Morgan Self - Buena Vista
  • Third Place - Dan Hanel - Suburu
  • Honorable Mention - Tahlia Thomas - Loudon

MATERIALS AND CONSUMER SCIENCE

  • First Place - Jessica Bell - Valley Oaks Charter
  • Second Place - Daniel Putney - Country Christian
  • Third Place - Ashtynn Parker - Patriot Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Nicole Smith - Valley Oaks Charter
  • Honorable Mention - April Denney - Redwood Elementary

PHYSICS (LAWS OF MATTER, MOTION AND ENERGY)

  • First Place - Margarito Guzman - Thorner
  • Second Place - Brock Lynch - Endeavor Elementary
  • Third Place - Kevin Carnahan - Centennial Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Mardelano Booc - Fremont
  • Special Recognition - Christopher Hannible - McKinley

PLANT BIOLOGY

  • First Place - Spencer Shoemaker - Almondale Elementary
  • Second Place - Jammal Abu-Khazneh - Laurelglen
  • Third Place - Vivian Thoo - Castle

INTERMEDIATE GRADES DIVISION - Grade 5

ASTRONOMY, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

  • First Place - Brittany Chiapa - Sing Lum
  • Second Place - Kaylah Harris - Almondale Elementary
  • Third Place - Tony Hackler - Van Horn
  • Honorable Mention - Kelsey Wruck - Hart

BEHAVIORAL, ANIMAL AND FIELD STUDIES

  • First Place - Eve Christman - St. Ann
  • Second Place - Tommy Wooding - Gateway Elementary
  • Third Place - M'Lyn Baumgartner - Golden Hills Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Kaley Mulligan - North Kern Christian

CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS

  • First Place - Callie Mitchell - St. John's
  • Second Place - Mark Van Kopp - Owens
  • Third Place - Robert Nelson - Hamilton Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Ryan McBride - Louden
  • Honorable Mention - Staci Flores - Centennial Elementary

ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS

  • First Place - Hannah Fielding - Ulrich Elementary
  • Second Place - Nick Pilgram - El Tejon
  • Third Place - Serena Noonan - Cummings Valley
  • Honorable Mention - Derek Williams - Valley Oaks Charter

FOOD AND HEALTH SCIENCE

  • First Place - Luke DeMoes - Patriot Elementary
  • Second Place - Elizabeth Bertey - Wingland
  • Third Place - Armando Ortiz - Freemont
  • Honorable Mention - Katharina Emery - Wallace Elementary

MATERIALS AND CONSUMER SCIENCE

  • First Place - Courtney Shipp - Rio Bravo
  • Second Place - Carolin Haney - Reagan
  • Third Place - Riley Heffernan - McAuliffe
  • Honorable Mention - Kyleigh DePetro - Buena Vista
  • Honorable Mention - Emmy Forbes - Valley Oaks Charter

PHYSICS (LAWS OF MATTER, MOTION AND ENERGY)

  • First Place - Cambria Ullrich - Quailwood Elementary
  • Second Place - Kevin Smith - Owens
  • Third Place - Alex Quintana - St. Ann
  • Honorable Mention - Joseph Arriola - St. Francis
  • Honorable Mention - Dylan Fisher - Endeavor Elementary

THERMOPHYSICS AND ELECTRICITY

  • First Place - Vidhatha Reddy - Laurelglen
  • Second Place - Ryan Hudson - St. John's
  • Third Place - Lindsey Haskell - Planz Elementary
  • Honorable Mention - Danica Adoc - Stine
  • Honorable Mention - Katie Andrews - El Tejon
  • Honorable Mention - Catherine Ogas - Sandrini

PLANT BIOLOGY

  • First Place - Aubryn Butterfield - North Kern Christian
  • Second Place - Nikhil Bhambi - Columbia Elementary
  • Third Place - Diana Olivares - Palm Avenue
  • Honorable Mention - Samantha Barraza - Fairfax

2004 Kern County Regional Science Fair Awards for Excellence

(Grades 9-12)

Kern County Science Foundation Scholarships

  • Daniel Fuentes - South High - $1,000
  • John Greenfield - Liberty High - $750
  • Jan Humphrey - Bakersfield High - $1,000
  • Cody Lewis - Desert High - $750

Air Force Research Laboratory

  • Matthew Ward - Desert High - $1,000

Distinguished Achievement Naval Science Award Winners

High School

  • Kaitlin Kirk - Desert High
  • Janelle Williams - Bakersfield High
  • Eric Ford - Burroughs High

Middle School

  • Kari Storslett - Stockdale Christian
  • Evan Szablowski - Warren Jr. High
  • William Piper - Actis Jr. High
  • Ravi Solanki - Norris Middle
  • Thomas Judge - El Tejon
  • Carolyn Ewert - Norris Middle
  • Martin Geier - St. John’s

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